Gironda:
“This procedure is what I maintain is used by the champions, whether or not they are aware of it…This awareness is more important that any steroid drug, any diet plan or supplement, or any exercise routine ever conceived”
A little contradictory, eh?
another reality of someone using the power of the mind
Geoff was a Bodybuilder who came to me for advice on why he was able to build nearly every muscle group in his body, but large pectorals (chest) muscles still continued to elude him. There can be many obstacles to growth in bodybuilding and natural ability is only a part of it. Some people are just born with genetic advantages, advantages in upbringing, and social conditioning. Some athletes have a higher amount of muscle fibres in certain muscle groups compared to others, making it easier to build that group of muscle.
However this is no reason why an individual cannot build their muscles to the maximum that their body will allow. I do not believe in the notion that one is stuck with genetic advantage / disadvantages, there are too many examples of amazing people who have overcome such setbacks and broken through these boundaries.
I believe we can amount to almost anything that we desire. Some have to work harder for results than others, but this only makes it more rewarding when success is achieved. All humans are capable of the same actions, as long as they create the mindsets that they need to accomplish that goal.
Geoff’s problem I discovered went back all his bodybuilding life. He was a late developer as a teenager and always regarded himself as smaller in physical size than his peers. Even though he grew far larger than his peers in his later teens and went onto become a not insignificant bodybuilder this self-image stuck in the back of his mind. His chest was developed, but not in comparison to his other muscle groups.
In bodybuilding symmetry this is exceedingly important to the athlete and when one muscle group lags behind it can result in much anxiety.
Geoff and I went about correcting this mental block of his. We worked on the notion that now he had grown-up and become an adult, it meant that he was now capable of increasing his chest muscles to coincide with his self-image. In this programme we set about a routine of self-hypnosis so that Geoff could continue to increase the effects of the hypnotic sessions I performed with those of his own.
One aspect of the hypnotic script that he used was to feel the muscles in his chest become warm with the increased blood flow into the muscle. He was also instructed to imagine the muscle growing as he concentrated upon its warm sensation and the flow of growth hormone that would be drawn to the area. This had a two-fold effect. It directs the mind that it does indeed grow easily (remember the subconscious has no reasoning facility). Also blood is drawn to the area and pumps the muscle up, this increases the likelihood of muscle building and encourages the athlete, increasing his belief in the effects of self-hypnosis.
As we have seen, just directing the mind to have an effect upon the body can and does have a biological effect, cells reproduce, muscles build, injuries heal faster and fat is easily burnt.
Geoff was a bodybuilder, so as with many he had to push himself past the Machismo barriers which stated to him that he didn’t need help. He was too tough to present himself to any type of sports therapist. Fortunately he overcame this perception and was subsequently able to make leaps ahead in personal development. His chest muscles began to grow with previously unseen proportions.
The more his chest grew the more powerful his self-image and belief in the effects of hypnosis became. This increased the effects. There came a time when he no longer needed to concentrate on the chest and started to look at his body as a whole unit again. Geoff now has continued with his belief in hypnosis and especially self-hypnosis, this has enabled him to attain the body and personality that he requires.
If there is something in his life that he does not want or anything he does want to gain, he has tools to move towards that goal.
With the continued use of hypnosis Geoff has been able to visualise his body the way he wants it to be, the shapes, feelings and even the strength that he desires are all attainable. And to think, all of these improvements just by setting aside a little time for himself each day!
Mental blocks are very powerful, both in sport and life generally.
Our individual upbringings have a huge effect on our adult lives, these are the things that develop our personalities and the perceptions that we have of our lives experiences.
A lot of the time, as was partly the case with Geoff’s chest development problem, our mental blocks are developed in childhood. We have difficulty in changing along side our self-images when we graduate into adult hood. Geoff had a perception that his chest muscles grew very slowly and this was a perception brought with him from his childhood days.
Clearly children don’t have large muscular physiques so his perceptions were perfectly rational for a child. If a person goes into adult hood at a later stage than his peers, internal communication can prevent the body from developing well in a particular way. We’ve seen that internal dialogue is powerful enough to change our body’s in any which way we command it to, so this has to have an effect. It is self-perpetuating because the more we focus on the problem the stronger the command becomes. It was true that Geoff could not previously develop a chest.
When he was a child, and when developing at puberty he was a late developer so this only reinforced his perception that he would never develop. This can in many cases create a fear of not developing, which in turn again strengthens the likelihood of the problem continuing. Together we were able to remove the old fear and develop new success strategies that were more in tune with Geoff’s self image as an adult.
-anonymous
I think that most champions come to realize early that success in the bodys potential does not come from the body or genetics but rather the mind and what you let yourself believe you are capable of. The mind, the grey matter, is what we exercise - the body - is just the result.
T-Nation: I remember reading about Arnold the Governator using a mental trick in his early years. He didn’t like leg training, so he purposefully walked around saying, “I love leg days!” Sure enough, he built a set of powerful legs. Was he on to something?
Dr. Jack: Absolutely! Think about the true case of a 97 pound older woman finding her husband trapped under the wheel of his car. She doesn?t stop to think negatively; she only tells herself that she must lift the car to free her husband? right now! And she accomplishes it!
Your subconscious mind takes all of its directions directly from you and it believes exactly what you tell it, making no judgments. Therefore, if you say to yourself (and therefore to your subconscious mind) “I hate leg training,” then it will help you to avoid leg training, because it thinks that’s what you want. On the other hand, if you say to yourself, “I love leg training,” guess what? Just ask the Governator, or better yet, look at his legs!
T-Nation: In recreational bodybuilding, I see a lot of people getting discouraged and defeated because they compare themselves to others. The bodybuilding mags are full of genetic gods on steroids, so it’s easy for the average guy to get discouraged. Oddly, the same guy doesn’t get discouraged when he can’t slam dunk like an NBA pro. He still likes shooting hoops. But many quit lifting weights if they don’t look like magazine cover models in four weeks. How would a Sports Psychologist tackle this issue?
Dr. Jack: This is another internal dialogue/internal critic issue. So many of us compare ourselves to the best and the brightest celebrities and because we don?t match up in a particular feature or two, we put ourselves down, feel helpless and hopeless, and give up on a goal.
We all need to realize that perfection is never naturally attained, set realistic goals for ourselves and strive to accomplish those goals. Just like we can?t change our nose structure without artificial makeover surgery, we can?t change our physical genetics?but what we can do is absolutely work our bodies, build them, and develop the very best that’s possible for our genetically predisposed frames.
In addition, new advances in self hypnosis actually dramatically aid muscle development, so that the body limitations you perhaps have always believed about yourself may not really be valid at all!
T-Nation interview
sample from an article i have previously posted…
However this is no reason why an individual cannot build their muscles to the maximum that their body will allow. I do not believe in the notion that one is stuck with genetic advantage / disadvantages, there are too many examples of amazing people who have overcome such setbacks and broken through these boundaries.
…end sample
this is what i have done in my own life. i believe it works, obviously and can work for anybody.
don’t ever try to school me again, you will get burned! you can school someone who has no frame of reference.
Well, my frame of reference is that I added 5 inches on to my biceps using Arnold’s technique.
his technique will not work for you if you don’t believe it. i guarentee it.
nice to see that 99% of the T-Nation readers were ignorant on this subject matter, I thought you guys were smarter than that…next time try reading more on the subject matter instead of looking for someone to flame.
and if you’re still lost, you know who you are. there is no hope for you, what i say below will hold true for probably most of your life
Although we inherit certain genetic tendencies from our parents we can change this chemical code with the power of our mind. We learnt at school that every thought creates a chemical reaction in the brain. It stands to reason then that by changing your mind you can change your DNA. The mind permeates every cell of your body, so whatever you think reflects in the body.
-anonymous (if you can figure out who said this, then you have read more books on genetics than me)
if this doesn’t do it for you… i suggest picking up a weight and finding out for yourself because nothing will make you believe, not even God himself or herself or itself
whatever
two words: Diesel Weisel.
[quote]Go heavy fool wrote:
sample from an article i have previously posted…
However this is no reason why an individual cannot build their muscles to the maximum that their body will allow. I do not believe in the notion that one is stuck with genetic advantage / disadvantages, there are too many examples of amazing people who have overcome such setbacks and broken through these boundaries.
…end sample
this is what i have done in my own life. i believe it works, obviously and can work for anybody.
[/quote]
If I remember right I read somwhere among these posts that you’re 16.
Just for our information, what genetic limitations have you reached and surpassed at this tender age?
Please enlighten us.
Would be interesting if you could post a few photos too so we can see what your mental techniques can achive.
Claes
I wish I could use the power of my mind to make this thread stop, but my telepathy genetics suck 
Yeah, we know. This has been stated numerous times by different authors. Your CNS is actually powerful enough to rip a muscle right of the bone when contracting it. But obviously, it wants to avoid that, so feats of strength like that are usually only possible in life and death situations. The same woman will not be able to lift the same car again if her husband is not trapped, even if she believes she can, because the CNS will not allow her to risk injury if it’s not unavoidable.
Sure. Telling yourself you are calm is also a popular relaxation technique. But what you are doing here is only influencing the mind. Arnold’s legs grew because he actually trained them, not because he told himself he liked training them.
[quote]T-Nation: In recreational bodybuilding, I see a lot of people getting discouraged and defeated because they compare themselves to others. The bodybuilding mags are full of genetic gods on steroids, so it’s easy for the average guy to get discouraged. Oddly, the same guy doesn’t get discouraged when he can’t slam dunk like an NBA pro. He still likes shooting hoops. But many quit lifting weights if they don’t look like magazine cover models in four weeks. How would a Sports Psychologist tackle this issue?
Dr. Jack: This is another internal dialogue/internal critic issue. So many of us compare ourselves to the best and the brightest celebrities and because we don?t match up in a particular feature or two, we put ourselves down, feel helpless and hopeless, and give up on a goal.
We all need to realize that perfection is never naturally attained, set realistic goals for ourselves and strive to accomplish those goals. Just like we can?t change our nose structure without artificial makeover surgery, we can’t change our physical genetics, but what we can do is absolutely work our bodies, build them, and develop the very best that’s possible for our genetically predisposed frames.[/quote]
Thanks for bringing material that shows that your point is pointless again. Genetic gods on steroids? Perfection is never naturally obtained? We can’t change our nose without surgery, neither can we change genetics? I believe I don’t need to comment further on this.
Yeah, if you really leave, the only troll posting in this thread will be gone.
[quote]Robert P. wrote:
Dr. Jack: Absolutely! Think about the true case of a 97 pound older woman finding her husband trapped under the wheel of his car. She doesn?t stop to think negatively; she only tells herself that she must lift the car to free her husband? right now! And she accomplishes it!
Yeah, we know. This has been stated numerous times by different authors. Your CNS is actually powerful enough to rip a muscle right of the bone when contracting it. But obviously, it wants to avoid that, so feats of strength like that are usually only possible in life and death situations. The same woman will not be able to lift the same car again if her husband is not trapped, even if she believes she can, because the CNS will not allow her to risk injury if it’s not unavoidable.
Your subconscious mind takes all of its directions directly from you and it believes exactly what you tell it, making no judgments. Therefore, if you say to yourself (and therefore to your subconscious mind) “I hate leg training,” then it will help you to avoid leg training, because it thinks that’s what you want. On the other hand, if you say to yourself, “I love leg training,” guess what? Just ask the Governator, or better yet, look at his legs!
Sure. Telling yourself you are calm is also a popular relaxation technique. But what you are doing here is only influencing the mind. Arnold’s legs grew because he actually trained them, not because he told himself he liked training them.
T-Nation: In recreational bodybuilding, I see a lot of people getting discouraged and defeated because they compare themselves to others. The bodybuilding mags are full of genetic gods on steroids, so it’s easy for the average guy to get discouraged. Oddly, the same guy doesn’t get discouraged when he can’t slam dunk like an NBA pro. He still likes shooting hoops. But many quit lifting weights if they don’t look like magazine cover models in four weeks. How would a Sports Psychologist tackle this issue?
Dr. Jack: This is another internal dialogue/internal critic issue. So many of us compare ourselves to the best and the brightest celebrities and because we don?t match up in a particular feature or two, we put ourselves down, feel helpless and hopeless, and give up on a goal.
We all need to realize that perfection is never naturally attained, set realistic goals for ourselves and strive to accomplish those goals. Just like we can?t change our nose structure without artificial makeover surgery, we can’t change our physical genetics, but what we can do is absolutely work our bodies, build them, and develop the very best that’s possible for our genetically predisposed frames.
Thanks for bringing material that shows that your point is pointless again. Genetic gods on steroids? Perfection is never naturally obtained? We can’t change our nose without surgery, neither can we change genetics? I believe I don’t need to comment further on this.
I am out of this post now. The trolls have showed up.
Yeah, if you really leave, the only troll posting in this thread will be gone.
[/quote]
i didn’t think it possible to have someone as ignorant as you try to post and just quote what you wish leaving out parts of the article, then also try to say that Arnold was wrong and he didn’t build his legs the way he thought they did.
You are not even trying to disprove me. You’re actually stupid enough to try to diprove Arnold in his techniques for muscle building. You are without a doubt probably the dumbest person on T-Nation.
Proving me incorrect is one thing. Trying to prove Arnold inaccurate is just a true testament of how pathetic some of the readers on this site are.
i do believe you left out this part of the article for a reason. This doctor apparnetly agrees with me and not you, the ignornant T-Nation flamer.
part the flamer left out of the doctors interview…read below and see why…
[In addition, new advances in self hypnosis actually dramatically aid muscle development, so that the body limitations you perhaps have always believed about yourself may not really be valid at all! ]
… wonder why the flamer left this out…huh?
T-Nation: I remember reading about Arnold the Governator using a mental trick in his early years. He didn’t like leg training, so he purposefully walked around saying, “I love leg days!” Sure enough, he built a set of powerful legs. Was he on to something?
…the above is the other part of the article this flamer left out.
here is proof that these flamers only have selective hearing and are basicly hear to argue instead of listen
i didnt expect anybody to listen to me on T-Nation, how in the hell could i do that? these readers are trying to disprove Trainers like Gironda, doctors on T-Nation interviews, and now the Arnold himself.
I have landed in an unholy place. where is the exit sign.
I promise you I will not post another clue to reality after hearing this fucking guy try to tell me how Arnold built his body when all this time I believed what Arnold had said how he did it. Now Arnold is wrong too. Fuck, where is the exit!
Holy shit this site has more flaming trolls on it than any i’ve been on.
Until your credibility superceeds this guy, don’t say another fucking word on this thread… you are an imbecile if you think you know more about building muscle than this guy
too bad vince agrees with what i’ve been telling these flamers… that sucks huh guys?
IronMan, May 1983)
The Essence Of Bodybuilding By Vince Gironda
I have stated numerous times that champions obviously possess something that others do not. Even though training partners do the same routine set for set, rep for rep, they do not obtain the benefits of the champions.
I have observed champions train in a manner I do not approve, but they receive results that are phenomenal. What is it that they possess? Well, I will tell you, they are using mental suggestion (self-hypnosis).
When I first observed this, it puzzled me. The first time I noticed Walt Baptiste, former gym owner and magazine publisher from San Francisco (Body Moderne) touching his abdominals while backstage before going out to pose at several physique contests, he seemed to be saying something to his abdominals as he stroked them. He seemed to be sending a message into this body section, because I could actually see the ABS sharpen up and grow more outlined than his normal condition. I later discovered that Walt was sending mental images to his subconscious, to produce this phenomena.
I learned that you can actually produce the desired condition by picturing in your mind what you wish to manifest. He also breathed deeply and regularly in through his nose and out through his pursed lips. As you know, this type of breathing is employed between sets prior to repeating the next set. At this time, the mechanism employed should be to picture in your mind a clear image of the muscle or area of the body you wish to develop, and hold the image throughout the performance of that set.
Walt promoted the first Mr. California Physique Contests, in which I placed second and third several times. He later gave up his gym and opened a chain of yoga studios in the San Francisco area.
The technique of mental suggestion is what all physical culture writers are trying to explain when they throw that nebulous term “concentration” at you. They seem to recognize that concentration is necessary, but do not know how to trigger the mechanism that produces the phenomenon. The subconscious believes any thought you perceive, and stores it. It accepts everything that is thought or spoken by you or another, if you accept it as truth.
But it must be repeated again and again until the subconscious accepts it as fact. Then it will produce the condition pictured in your mind.
This procedure is what I maintain is used by the champions, whether or not they are aware of it. They are convinced of a successful outcome.
This awareness is more important that any steroid drug, any diet plan or supplement, or any exercise routine ever conceived. I have observed bodybuilders who take steroids and receive no benefits. They take unimaginable amounts of supplements and constantly try new routines, but are not getting results, and never will until they discover that what I have written here is the true essence of bodybuilding. For years I have been asked by my fans to write the secrets of the champions, and here you have it.
So instead if debating us further, you’re just going to let other authors argue for you by posting their articles?
Hell, I’m sure if we felt so inclined to invest 30 seconds in Google we could find numerous authors saying that genetics matter a great deal in becoming a bodybuilding champion.
Besides, if Baptiste could “talk” his muscles into growing, why would he bother with weights?
hmm…
a) “Although we inherit certain genetic tendencies from our parents we can change this chemical code with the power of our mind*”
b)“Just like we can’t change our nose structure without artificial makeover surgery, we can’t change our physical genetics”
I repeat: hmm…
“You are not even trying to disprove me.”
Dude, you’re posting writings by some authors that are doing it for us.
“You’re actually stupid enough to try to diprove Arnold in his techniques for muscle building.”
Nope. Look, I’m sure visualizing his muscle growing WAS one of his techniques for building muscle.
What I AM saying is that such a technique is pretty much pointless. Just because he did it doesn’t mean it’s effective.
"…the above is the other part of the article this flamer left out. "
No. He specifically addressed that when he wrote: “Arnold’s legs grew because he actually trained them, not because he told himself he liked training them.”
What were you saying about selective hearing, again?
“… wonder why the flamer left this out…huh?”
Because it’s not worth refuting something that common sense does a good job of in and of itself. Once again, just because you can type “determination over genetics” into Google and pull 4 sources off the net and one out of your ass to support it doesn’t make it true.
“where is the exit sign.”
It’s that little ‘x’ in the upper right hand corner of your screen. Surely someone who’s IQ has tested as highly as yours should have figured that out.
“I promise you I will not post another clue to reality after hearing this fucking guy try to tell me how Arnold built his body when all this time I believed what Arnold had said how he did it.”
You will post again. You can’t help it. You have already proven yourself to be a liar in this department.
We aren’t calling Arnold a liar when he tells us what he did. We are simply stating that some of the things he DID do aren’t as effective as he might think.
Just a thought…
Well, I guess ckg21 took care of most points made against me. However, yes I did leave out the T-Nation question. However, if you would turn your selective hearing (or reading) off, you would have seen that I did include the answer, and that I even stated that saying “I love leg days” even though you hate them was a valid technique to motivate yourself. However, the actual hypertrophy was caused by training, not saying you love training.
Reconsider your points. Arnold was a great bodybuilder. And many people who blame genetics are nowhere near their genetic limits. However, those limits exist and they will keep a vast majority of bodybuilders at having a shot a Mr.Olympia.
I haven’t read every single thread on here, but the many I have read did not mention an important point about genetic potential. Genetic potential does not refer to someone’s original physique. It refers to their potential to build muscle mass/strength. For example, you could have one guy who is 150lbs and one guy who is 185lbs (both of whom have never trained). The smaller guy may have more genetic potential for muscle growth and grow like a weed. The originally bigger guy may lack the genetic potential to build a huge amount of muscle.
Although there must be others, the only bodybuilding champion I know for sure had “bad” (in his own estimation as well as others) genetics was Steve Michalik, “The Phantom Bodybuilder.” He transcended them through the use of copious steroids, etc, and a seemingly inhuman (and, ultimately, self-destructive) obsession with building his body. One way to tell that Michalik had terrible genetics is that when he went off-cycle, he’d drop like fifty pounds (down to 150 or so). There’s a great article about him called “The Power and the Gory,” which was anthologized in the best sportswriting of the century (I’ll try to find the link).
Also, a way to tell that Arnold’s genetics are far from bad is to look at the photo of him at 16 and compare it to ANY 16 year old you’ve EVER seen.